Consequently, Kroos was "not at all" convinced that his former club could beat Barça and thus postpone their title win once again. When Marcus Rashford (9') and Ferran Torres (18') made it 2–0 early on, even the last shred of conviction vanished. "I've rarely jotted down so few notes," Kroos said, adding, "I've rarely felt so little hope. To be honest, I was glad when it was over." The second half was "reasonably even", and the contest simply petered out.
Kroos added, "Maybe they were motivated. I'm not saying they weren't. But it's just not enough—on many levels." Nevertheless, the former midfielder acknowledged that Real had put in a "decent performance" and avoided being "run ragged". He concluded, "Barcelona were content with the 2-0 cushion, and by the 60th minute everyone would have settled for the referee to blow the final whistle."